Tears Don't Rain
by Rianan D' Halmsu
Summary: All he can think of is death, "You don't know how it feels to be alive, despite knowing that you are dead."-Naruto. NaruSaku.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, guys! It's been a long time since I last wrote a Fanfic~! It's a NaruSaku fic!**

**HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY~  
…Ok, that was a bit weird.  
Please tell me what you think of it!**

**Here goes nothing!- (**_**DUN, DUN, DUN DUN!)**_

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Sakura was what some would call her, kind _and _cruel.

Not exactly the adjectives that meshed together well, but, with _her_, the both balanced each other perfectly. She was strong, tough, ruthless, cruel and, perhaps, a bit arrogant. She wasn't the sort to hold grudges, wasn't the sort to hate someone with all her passion.

But, currently, she did. It was, perhaps, a tiny spark of hatred- but, it was there, lingering. Abhorrence, however, was too strong a word- too strong to use it with Naruto, at least.

Naruto wasn't the sort of person one could 'abhor' with a click of his fingers. One would, she felt, need a hell lot of emotional control to actually abhor the blonde.

Hating the Jinchurikki, itself, was an impossible feat. But, she had done it.

She hated him.

Sure, hating him did make her feel guilty, it made her wonder _how, how can I hate him?_, but she had done it.

The owner of the emerald eyes smiled faintly, as the poison from the patient's body poured out into the green orb attached to her hand. The red liquid moved as she moved her hand, only to be dropped in a container a few seconds later. She took the warm towel, running it over the man's thigh, partially to ease the pain, and mainly to make sure if the poison was completely gone. The patient gasped and groaned loudly, earning a, "Well, that's that." from Sakura.

She looked approvingly at two nurses who had been busy restraining the patient, now smiling at her, marveling at her optimistic and strong willed nature.

She addressed one of the nurses, apprising her of the diet and conditions of the patient, ways to expedite the recovering rate. Adding a silent 'Thank you, and make sure to feed him enough Vitamin B,' her eyes followed the patient as he was promptly taken out of the room, hurriedly.

With no one meddling in her privacy, she gave a deep, heartfelt sigh and sat on a swivel chair, resting her elbows on the desk. Dropping her face in her hands she groaned.

Work had been piling up like hell, being forced to do regular checkups on ex-Shinobis; the 'ex' added due to the Fourth Shinobi War's unwanted courtesy. It had been four years since _that_ faithful day, the day when everything had gone horribly wrong, the day when thousands were sacrificed, the day when Narut- _no, Sasuke died._

She tried her best (and succeeded to some extent) to forget about the blonde because-

'_He killed Sasuke.'_

Naruto was in a four year long coma, but that still didn't change the fact that _Sasuke-kun is dead._

She found herself clenching her fingers when hatred washed over her.

"How _dare _he!?" she murmured, "How dare he kill Sasuke; _how DARE _HE!?"

The news came to her through banging doors, startling her. She jumped a few inches in her seat, gasped and swiveled around, still on her chair. She saw the nurse, her blue hair tied in a loose pony tail, her specs cocked, and gasping for air like water deprived fish.

Sakura composed herself, got up, poured water in a glass and offered it to her. "Calm down." she said, while the nurse grappled for the glass, and thirstily drank the water. The blue-haired, who, if Sakura's memory skills had not betrayed her, was Aoi. Aoi looked at her respectfully, grateful.

Silence took over.

"Uh, is there something you need?" Sakura asked, feeling rather awkward.

The nurse gave a startled gaze, remembering the reason for her arrival. She composed herself, hastily wiping her sweaty forehead. There was a look on her face, a mixture of happiness and dread, when she spoke the next sentence, "Haruno-san, Uzumaki Naruto. He is awake."

A deep silence pervaded.

After receiving the news, her brain decided to shut down. She wasn't sure how to react, to feel? Ecstatic? Granted, she was feeling just that, but she, without a second doubt, crushed it.

She knew she wasn't supposed to forgive murderers.

_(Oh, the irony of it all.)_

So, she simply stared, bemused, as if someone had just asked her to solve a particularly difficult mathematical sum, instead of saying something as simple as 'He is awake.' This time it was her time to stare like a water deprived fish. Aoi continued speaking, "His condition, however is not…." She paused, searching for the correct word, "…uh, stable."

Sakura's eyes hardened with contempt or worry, she herself wasn't sure. Giving a curt nod- a nod which seemed to _forced_ as if she were trying to overlay her emotions with the opposite feelings- she walked towards the door and headed for room 302, Aoi following her.

Aoi seemed a bit reluctant to follow her and actually get into the room, for reasons Sakura would understand a few minutes later. Sakura noticed her reluctance and, taking pity on her, nodded, assenting to her obvious and untold request. Seconds later, Sakura found herself alone and abandoned, staring at the door and the number, engraved on a metal plate, 302.

She felt nervous. Highly so. It felt as if she were being tested by Tsunade; this time, however, she tried her best to crush the excitement. Despite that, her forehead sweat and nervousness ran through her spine.

Since when did the air-conditioner stop working?

She could not hear anything from the room: it was soundproof.

Taking in a deep, bated, longing breath, calming her muscles, allowing four years worth of anger resurface, clenching her fists, she stomped inside, ready to break all hell loose.

A scream. A broken, rusty, unused scream.

That was the first thing she heard when she entered. She wasn't really sure how to react, but, the voice was very familiar but… _different._ The next thing she heard were voices- nurses, she presumed they were. The nurses were trying their best to calm the patient down, tugging at his shoulder in a vain attempt to pin him down.

Said patient was busy thwarting about, moving his hands wildly, and his eyes wide with unconcealed fear. His blue eyes seemed fifty shades darker, pupils small, screaming in his broken, _broken_ voice, asking for help and-

She couldn't see it anymore.

This wasn't how she expected their meeting to be like. She hadn't imagined seeing him with so much pain, so much _hurt. _She thought she'd see an ebullient Naruto, the one who'd grin at her, the one to whom she'd say how much she hated him, _hated _him for killing Sasuke, for leaving her alone, for making her cry, for making her worried sick, _for killing Sasuke-_

No.

_Naruto, why did you leave me?_

The years had been hell for her. Having to cope with heavy losses, having to know that Sasuke was dead, and _finally _knowing that Naruto- her best friend, her nakama, the person she'd kill herself to save- could slip away from her grasp, and die, _simply die. _Somehow, Sasuke seemed meaningless to her.

"Where am I?!" he screamed, his voice cracked, "_Where the hell am I?!Get away from me, GET AWAY!"_

"Naruto, calm down!" Tsunade. Sakura hadn't even seen her. Of course, she'd be there. It was Naruto, for Heaven's sake!

The blonde woman looked sternly at the nurses, her hazels eyes hardening, whilst she too tried to pin him down. 'Tried' being the key word- for he easily broke from his restrains, screaming and muttering "The light is too bright… get away, why are you still here? No…no, _please no! Stay away from me!_" his voice took a hushed tone now, as he calmed down, giving the nurses the opportunity to pin him down. Their success, however, was short lived because, as soon as the bed touched his back, he screamed.

He squirmed, tossing and turning, eyes wide and speaking incoherently, yet loudly, "Why must you _do this!?_" he screamed, swiping his arms, sending a few nurses on their backs, "Why… _what did I ever do to you!?_" he tugged at his hair, as if feeling there was something pressing at him from all sides, "Fuck it, _fuck it, FUCK IT!_"

Everything was _too _bright.

His eyes distractedly flickered about, and then landed on Tsunade. His eyes didn't soften and no smile graced his face. His mouth rounded in surprise, and he murmured, "You… aren't you _supposed to be dead?"_

It didn't make any sense. He had killed her. He had seen her dying, he had seen _everyone _dying, and leaving him alone in this world and then… then they had come back for _him._

_How are they alive?_

His head pained and bile rose up his throat and he covered his mouth in distaste.

Tsunade took in a deep breath, stepping forward and asked, with an unusual amount of gentleness, fearing the worst, "What do you mean?"

"No!" he scrambled away from her, nearly falling off the bed, "Don't come near me! You guys are dead, I saw it, I saw it! I killed you, dammit, I _killed you! _You, Shikimaru, Neji,_ all of them, _**dead. **She died, for fuck's sake! _**I saw Sakura dying!**_"

Sakura started at the mention of her name. Last she checked, she was sure as hell alive and kicking. In fact, she was one the most famous medic nins in Konoha.

"What….?" She doubted her voice could reach any of their ears, amidst of all the commotion. Tsunade heard her, for she looked straight at her face, something in her eyes telling her to go. She frowned at her, her eyes disconcerted.

Naruto followed her gaze, quietening abruptly, his words leaving his mouth and slowly bursting like bubbles.

She was there, alive and beautiful, _she was just there._

"Saku…ra.." he murmured, voicing it again and again, getting used to the name, as if spoken in an alien tongue.

"Naruto." She acknowledged, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. She tried to suppress it, failed miserably, and thought that, the hell, this was _Naruto._

His eyes were a pallet of emotions, ranging from fervor to sadness to confusion and above all… fear.

For her, or of her, she wasn't really sure. Something told her that she was better off not knowing.

She took this time, as the silence spread, to observe her team mate. His skin was a bit lighter though still tanned. He had black circles under his eyes, his cheeks were sunken his eyes having lost its exuberance. His hair was amazingly tousled, wild and long, reaching a bit above his shoulders. Even though he seemed handsome, he still needed a haircut. Surprisingly, he hadn't even gained weight. He had lost his glow, yes, but there was something in him that still screamed his name. Something familiar, something she had come to love over the years.

Apparently she had walked a considerable distance, because the next moment, she found herself being hugged by him.

It was a desperate hug, the sort which made her heart flutter, the sort which made her think, _'I'll be there for you.' _At the same time, the simple hug made her know that he was afraid. It made her know that he was scared, that he was terrified of… something.

Sakura felt tears swell up in her eyes, as she shut them, and all too happily hugged him back. She pressed her lips against his head, gently running her hand through his hair.

It had been such a long time. It had been years since she had last touched him; felt him so close to her; the _perfection _of it all. She found herself crying silently, the nostalgia raw and alive and she wished time to stop for them.

_(It didn't- it never was supposed to.)_

Naruto embraced her. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, registering her somewhat shapely features. He breathed in her scent- slightly minty and strawberry like- and then he knew. She was alive.

She was _fucking alive!_

_But…_

But, he saw her dead.

He saw it, he _had_ seen it. Her eyes dead, limbs twisted and broken at an impossible angle, looking at him blankly, smiling mockingly and…  
There was blood.  
So _much _of it.

He screamed as his head pained, as whispers filled his head and the world- _his own made world- _crashed down on him, telling him, admonishing him, saying that _this is a dream, you were never meant to be alive, she is dead, she never existed, kill her, kill her, _**kill her **_because this doesn't make any sense-_

And it scared him. It terrified him.

He pushed her away, roughly, rudely, and snarled, "You _bitch, _get _away _from me."

Sakura tripped back, unbalanced, only to gain support from one of the nurses. She would have thanked him, but for some reason, her throat felt dry and her heart sunk painfully. There was hurt in her eyes. Sweet, disgusting hurt and it scared him. He never wanted to see her like that,

"No… you…" '_You are dead.' _"I…I…" he coughed abruptly, body convulsing and jittering in pain, shaking all over and…

_Blank._

His eyes rolled upwards, and though faint, his words did not miss the Hokage's and medic nin's ears,

"You… _you guys killed me."_

_(They never did, Naruto. _You _are meant to kill.  
His lips curved up.  
Ah, yes, a killing machine.)_

~R~D~H~

**So… uh, how was it? Hope you guys liked it! **

**Review, please!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Finally got to update it, and I am kinda excited about this chapter.**

**To those AWESOME people who reviewed/followed/ added this in their 'favorites' list –  
You GUYS ARE SO FREAKING AWESOME!  
Hope you enjoy this!**

.  
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After a few minutes of silence, Sakura found herself speaking. Her bottom lip trembled pathetically and her eyebrows dipped into a worried frown. She pulled a few strands of hair behind her ear- to overcome her nervousness- before asking, "What… what happened to him…?"

Tsunade looked at her pensively, un-answering, her hands pressed against the edge of Naruto's bed, her eyebrows dipped in a similar fashion as that of Sakura's. She sighed and stood straight, walking forward, limping, seemingly ignoring Sakura's question, the heels of her shoes clicking rhythmically against the floor. She motioned her hand, beckoning one of the nurses to come near her. The nurse closest to her jumped silently, before hurrying forward. Tsunade said something Sakura did not bother hearing, after which the nurse along with the other doctors scuttled out of the room.

Silence ensconced itself in the room, sometimes disturbed by the unheeded beeps of the machines.

"Sensei," Sakura called again, holding a drop of impatience in her voice, "what's wrong with him?"

Tsunade turned around, her eyes frail and worried.

Her mind felt like nothing, maybe just a blur, an insignificant, cascading blur of unwanted and painful emotions. She had seen him once, lying there on the bed, peacefully and somehow very broken, his mouth agape, silent screams erupting, choking. The image was burnt in her mind, scalding, and at times she wished that she were like Sakura, who had pretended to hate the blonde, pretended to bury the emotions deep inside her.

It was a silly hope, but at times, like a mother, she wished that Naruto wasn't the person lying unmoving on the bed. At times she imagined seeing another blonde, _another _figure calling out to her, in his childish and petulant voice-

She paused and shook her head. Her legs felt awkwardly wobbly, as she took a chair seemingly out of nowhere, sitting down quietly, somehow feeling like a child. That night she had sneaked a peak into Naruto's mind and what she had seen was-

She preferred not to think.

The other _kunoichi _said nothing, keeping quiet, the look Tsunade had given her being the reason for her silence. Sakura's mind worked quickly, rapidly, like a bullet train. Thinking was the only thing that kept her proper, preventing her from falling into depression. She wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, anyway. She felt worried and tired, things flying a bit too fast for her liking. Never had she seen Naruto like _that- _like a _broken piece of toy- _and it shook her to the core. It wasn't pleasant. It felt as if a lump of something was stuck in her throat, refusing to _get out._

Naruto was like a light for her, a bright light that always seemed to glow, that always shone before her even when she was surrounded with nothing but darkness, a never ending darkness. She was like a moth attracted to fire- Naruto being the latter. It was a stupid metaphor,- or was it a simile?- perhaps, but it actually made sense.

But, if one were to put water into the fire… what would it be like?

A soggy mass of nothing, forgotten and left for the dead.

That's what Naruto felt like. And it terrified her to know that the fire- _her fire-_ had ceased to exist.

"I'm too old for this…" Tsunade murmured, breaking Sakura from her daydream. She looked at Tsunade, at her trembling form. She knew what Tsunade was feeling; Naruto was like a son to her, the closest thing to her heart. Sakura remembered the horror on her mother's face when she had come back home, after the War, bloodied, broken and crying. It had made Sakura feel guilty for knowing that _she _was the reason for her mother's inner turmoil.

Sakura put a gentle arm around Tsunade's shoulder, "It's alright, sensei." She said encouragingly. At least she tried to sound like that; what with her voice surely trembling like leaves. "This is Naruto we are talking about. Naruto has gone through worse, yet he survived. Something as little as this surely can't bring him down. That knucklehead is going to become alright!" her voice rang out cheerfully, making Tsunade smile.

A part of Sakura, the logical part, knew that he _wouldn'_t be alright and that whatever she said was to mainly assure herself.

"Yeah…" Tsunade mumbled to herself, "He'll be alright…"

Tsunade's eyes flickered towards Sakura. The pinkette was, unsurprisingly, looking fondly and desperately at the blonde, resisting the urge to go near him. The slight frown on her face indicated that she was thinking about the blonde's condition. It was obvious that he had mental or emotional trauma.

Or both.

Probably both.

Sakura ruffled her hair in frustration, and stopped herself from asking yet another question. Something told her that Tsunade was hiding something from her. Instead, she occupied herself with more pressing matters.

'What did he mean?' she wondered.

_I killed you!  
I saw her dying, for fuck's sake! I saw Sakura dying!  
You… you guys killed me…_

The last sentence sent unwanted ripples down her body. It made her feel vulnerable, as if she were being scraped off all the goodness, leaving out the cover to show her _real _self. After all, spoke the truth.

They had killed him.

Not physically, but, surely, emotionally. Having to go through all that… at such a young age… alone…. Sometimes she'd wonder how the hell Naruto could keep smiling, even with all the tragedies he had suffered through. Naruto never deserved all that. He never did. He never did anything wrong, it was the Kyuubi who had destroyed the village twenty-two years ago, _not him._

Then again, she wasn't the one to speak. She was one of the many people who had scorned him, _hated _him for no reason at made her feel guilty; it made her feel _stupid, so stupid, and selfish._

Tsunade got up abruptly, the chair shrieking in protest. Mechanically, she walked towards the door, the slight limp present in her stride prominent that ever; after all, having the lower part of one's body separated from the upper part is _bound _to make one limp- ninja or not. The thought of it made Sakura cringe.

Tsunade got hold of the door knob. Turning it, she cracked the door open and twisted her neck to look at Sakura. "Meet me later." She said, distractedly, her mind swirling with thoughts. Sakura did not even get the time to assent to her order because, like a lithe cat, the Hokage was gone the next moment.

Sakura stared blankly at the door for some time, thinking how short, clipped and direct the order was. Not that Tsunade was the sort who'd go about babbling, granted. She turned around and gazed at Naruto- at his peaceful and perfect form, his eyes closed and quite. He looked like a statue, chiseled perfectly and gently, with the tender love of a sculptor.

Her hand found his and she clasped onto it tightly, securely. His hand was big calloused, not that she had never noticed such a detail in him before. He had protective hands, one could say, the sort which could make anyone feel secure and contend. She frowned and wondered since when had she become such a romantic. Not that she ever wasn't- when she was twelve, she had this huge wedding planned out for her and Sasuke. She chuckled at the thought, at her _stupidity._

Sakura was aware that she wasn't a strong person- emotionally, that is. Physically, she was stronger than guys even, her perfection in chakra-control being the main reason. Emotionally, she was very weak, and, though she hated it, even _she _had to admit it. She was nothing compared to Naruto.

Naruto was like a God, a well-loved God, who could brighten up a place by just being _present. _

He was truly a wonderful person; after all he was _her _Naruto, right?

"Naruto…" she mumbled softly, grasping his hand tightly, "what… what happened to you…?"

Her question was in vain- he did not reply.

Sakura looked at his serene face in raw admiration. This sleeping face of his was so different than what he had had before the war, before _everything_ came crashing down on her. Previously, he would drool in and adorable way, his body spread across his bed in an unruly yet charming manner, with his faint and nearly-non-existent- snores, while his whisker marks would twitch gently as she would run her fingers lovingly over them.

She giggled uncontrollably, as she instinctively raised her hands in an attempt to do the same thing.

As soon as her hand came in contact with the bare skin, almost immediately, his eyes cracked open, bleeding into a dangerous red. His hand shot out, like a snake attacking its prey, grasping her wrist. She gasped, partially in pain and mostly in surprise. He snarled at her, blood shot eyes staring accusingly and dangerously, an animalistic growl escaping his throat, "Don't," he said insidiously, "_don't _you _dare _touch me!"

She tried to wring her wrist out of his grasp, eyes wide and uncontrolled. She felt confused; if she remembered correctly, hadn't Naruto and the Kyuubi come to a truce?

Naruto looked at her for some time, after which his eyes drooped, as if ill, and he dropped on the bed, like the dead, his fingers loosening around her wrist. Sakura ran her hand over the bruised area, glad to be free, and looked at the unmoving Naruto. She took in a deep, sharp breath.

_Like the dead…_

**~R~D~H~**

An hour or so later, Sakura stood in front of the Hokage's office, her mind travelling back to her unexpected encounter with Naruto. She hadn't expected him to wake up, even though it had been for a second. Hell, she hadn't even expected him to _move _so fast. She wondered whether or not she should apprise Tsunade of Naruto, figured that she shouldn't and then simply decided to stand there patiently, waiting.

She had invariably bandaged her upper left arm- a habit she never out grew. She wore a flak jacket, underneath which was a dark blue turtleneck. Her tights reached a bit above her knees and a weapon pouch hung tightly around her waist. Over the years, she had let her hair grow longer, which was now tied in a loose pony tail, reaching up to her neck. She knew she had to get her hair cut soon, and wondered why she hadn't noticed such a fact before. Then again, work was bearing its evil fangs.

She could hear two voices from inside- one was definitely Tsunade; her bold, _demanding_ voice, Sakura could never forget, even if she wanted to. The other voice, she wasn't really sure, but it still sounded very familiar. It was a soft, meek voice and Sakura concentrated as hard as she could to remember it. No one came to her mind. Sakura was surprised that Shizune was not there. There seemed to be an argument present- very muffled and faint, but it was there.

The argument came to a sudden halt and the meek voice mumbled a reluctant and quite, "Hai, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage said something, probably '_You're dismissed_,_'_ Sakura figured, and the door opened.

Sakura was met with an unexpected figure. Said figure's Hyuuga eyes widened in surprise, before she recoiled, though faintly, almost invisibly in Sakura's eyes. Hinata Hyuuga tossed the medic nin a forced smile, before excusing herself. Sakura returned her a well-meant greeting, and her eyes lingered on Hinata till she disappeared around the corner.

Sakura was slightly surprised after seeing Hinata. She hadn't seen her in _years_, and though not very close, they did speak sometimes. After the war, the Hyuuga heiress had practically disappeared, sometimes seen for maybe a second. Not that Sakura minded her disappearance, and, though selfish, she was kind of glad that Hinata wasn't around anymore.

Hinata's feelings for Naruto bothered her a lot.

Sometimes she wondered why.

"Sakura, come in."

Disturbed from her reverie (she had been doing that a lot lately), she walked in and stopped just a few paces away from the Hokage's desk. She bowed in respect- something Tsunade told her _not _to do, adding that it made matters more formal. Sakura would reject and say that she knew her position and that the Hokage should be treated with respect at all times, no matter how close they were. Tsunade would just sigh.

Tsunade's fingers were interlaced together- as usual- and she looked uncertainly at the Haruno. A brief silence passed.

"Sakura," she said, "you are not permitted to see Naruto. At least, not until and he recovers."

The abovementioned woman stared at the hazel eyed woman, with something akin to incredulity. Her body felt unusually numb, as the impact of her words slowly processed in her mind. Not seeing Naruto- the _concept _of it was preposterous! Briefly she wondered how she had lived without Naruto for the past few years. Then again, going under depression for a year or so had not kept her in the right state of mind.

Anger surfaced within her.

"What!" she exclaimed, furious, "Hokage-sama, he's my teammate! I have _every _right to see him!"

"I know." Tsunade said nonchalantly.

Noticing the indifference, the poison in her voice deepened, and she glared at Tsunade, "You can't _do that!_" she screamed, "Naruto is _my _friend, not to mention, my teammate, and you don't have _any _right to take him away from me! Tsunade-sama, I don't _know _what's wrong with him, and though it scares me to know that he might never recover, I have _every right to see him!_" She herself couldn't help but wonder since when had she become such a bold person. Not that it was unlike her, she was bold, but even _she _feared the Hokage. Speaking with contempt to a person of Tsunade's caliber was unlike her. "I-"

"That's enough, Sakura! You should treat me with respect!" Tsunade's voice rang out, silencing her. Sakura bit her inner cheek in regret, reprimanding her foolishness. The anger, however, still did not disappear.

"You _know_ how I feel about it! Naruto's your teammate and I know how it feels to be away from your precious people. Believe me, I know." Tsunade's eyes took a softer, understanding look, while her voice was filled with pain.

Sakura looked at her, now seriously hating herself. She knew what, or _who_, Tsunade was referring to.

Orochimaru and Jiraya.

"But," she continued, "Naruto has gone through a lot. Whatever happened to him during the past few years wasn't filled with _butterflies _and _honeybees_, Sakura. Something bad has happened to him. Something _bad." _She repeated and Sakura again got the feeling as if she were hiding something from her. She spoke, her voice taking a quieter tone, "You saw hat he went like when he saw a familiar face. I don't want to see him like that, it hurts me, and I know more than you do that it hurts you _more._ Please," she said, "I hope you understand."

Sakura blinked. Well, when she put it like _that…_

Sakura's anger evaporated, replaced by frustration, but she murmured, reluctantly, "Hai, Hokage-sama. I understand."

Tsunade smiled in satisfaction, her voice holding relief, "I knew you would."

**~R~D~H~**

The splinters of wood scratched her hand, drawing out unheeded blood, as her knuckle came in contact with the tree, snapping it from somewhere in the end, a battle cry escaping her lips. Without a pause, she swiveled on the heel of her left foot, raised her right leg, and, with another battle cry, kicked the tree, which was in mid-air, causing it to fly. Said broken tree hit another tree, which bent, snapping into two, sending the part not connected to the ground hurling itself into another tree, sending a chain reaction of sorts.

The first tree had shattered into million pieces, and she stood there, staring impassively at the six broken trees (excluding the first one.).

She stared at it for a few ten seconds, before screaming in frustration, and hitting another tree with her forehead.

Nothing happened.

Next second, she flopped herself on the ground and clutched onto her forehead, gently rubbing the sore area, cursing loudly. She continued rubbing it, and her fingers unconsciously rubbed the area where a blue diamond like structure resided, looking as if it had been painted by someone. Though proud, she didn't smile, like she usually did. Instead, she let her back hit the ground, taking in shallow breaths.

She was aware that she was probably overreacting, but she couldn't help it. It was as if whenever Naruto was in danger, something inside her would go '_bling!' _and the next moment she'd either start worrying about the blonde or would try to help him any way possible, even at the cost of her own life.

It was like a built in system or something.

Naruto was the closest person to her, the person who never gave up hope in her. A life without him was…

She shuddered, not even wanting to think about such a painful situation.

She wanted to see him. Badly. It felt as if not meeting him would end her world.

She paused and frowned. What the hell? Sure, it wasn't the first time since meeting Naruto she felt such, but…

She groaned in frustration. She was desperate- desperate enough to try to even _blackmail_ Tsunade.

Stupid idea, she reprimanded herself harshly. She knew she was intelligent, and currently she wondered why the hell her huge head wasn't working anymore.

"Stupid grey matter." She murmured to herself in annoyance. What else could she do? Put a camera inside. Another stupid idea. There was a camera inside, anyway, and, besides, seeing him through a screen was nothing like seeing him in real flesh and blood. They were two different things entirely.

As far as she was aware, Naruto shouldn't see _her. _Or any of his friends, for that matter.

She paused and another idea, this one not as stupid as the rest, filtered through her mind. However, she felt stupid over the fact that she hadn't thought of this before.

A henge was the perfect solution to this problem! All she hoped was that Naruto would not recognize her.

After all, he _was_ very familiar with her chakra.

**~R~D~H~**

Naruto woke up to the familiar scent of the hospital. The lights were (thankfully) switched off and the only source of light was the moonlight. It still made his eyes hurt, forcing him to close them again, this time in annoyance. What was up with him and being forced into bright places?

There was silence, a comfortable, solid silence, and he thanked God, if such a childish thing existed, for it. His eyebrows were furrowed and he slowly opened them, too reluctant to leave the darkness.

After a few seconds, his eyes got adjusted to the moonlight, and he sat up groggily, his neck paining as he inclined it to rub his sore head. He ran his hands over his face, to get rid of the sleep. He stared blankly at the white bed sheet, covering his body.

Well. This was different.

His eyes widened in panic, and he snapped his head to his right, hissed as pain shot up through his body, and frantically looked around. The room was pretty big, he noted, consisting of nothing but a desk to the left of his bed, an IV stand and a machine to his right. The machine emitted 'beeps' which were very annoying, so he ripped the thing- he did not know the name for it- from his chest, and the machine came to an abrupt halt, before receding to an equally annoying, penetrating noise.

He decided to ask himself a question, something which bothered him, "Who am I?"

"Naruto." He answered himself, "Naruto Uzumaki."

He repeated this sentence a few times, his mouth rusty and numb, as if trying to make sure. He would sometimes frown, when the name sounded _peculiar. _It bothered him and he couldn't help but wonder why.

He looked around, and asked himself, "Where am I?"

He was answered with silence.

"The hospital." He suggested and then nodded, confused. This wasn't where he remembered himself to be just a few moments ago. He took in a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes again. Last he recalled, he was somewhere dark, with _blood, bodies, dead, dead, __**dead**__bodies surrounding him, twisted and broken, clawing at hi, laughing, admonishing him, asking him, __**why, why, why, **__eating him alive—_

'_I love you.' _

_**SPLASH-!**_

Naruto tried to open his eyes as the whole scene, as the _torture, _replayed itself, cruelly taunting him. He tried to get rid of these thoughts, these _goddamn images,_

They didn't disappear.

As seconds passed, the images became more clear, more vivid, the voices, louder, and the words, _those _words, spoke clearly, with her honey like voice, echoing in his mind, again and again and _again-_

"Stop it!" he screamed, "For _fuck's sake, make them GO!"_

He clawed his head, tugged his hair, the fruitless attempt frustrating him. His throat burned insanely, and he clawed it furiously, the IV attached to various parts of his body allowing restricted movements and he begged them to _go away, I don't need you, GO AWAY!_

The pain was raw and alive, coursing sickeningly through his veins and he could literally feel his cells multiplying at a rapid pace, could feel the blood rushing to his ears, could feel his skin boiling and bursting, _could feel the heartrendingly familiar pain,_ _and then_—

The pain disappeared.

He stopped moving, and stared ahead, blankly, as if accepting the tranquility- the _mayhem_- of it all.

_(It was so beautiful, like an undisturbed, clear ocean.)_

His blue eyes drooped, and a smile, a beautiful _rare_ smile filtered through his features. A tear drop rolled down his eyes, and fell on his lap.

And then, he exploded, bloody matter flying everywhere. Blood splashed sickeningly on the wall, painting it red, drowning the room. Bits and pieces of organs splashed onto the wall, sliding down to fall on the floor.

His heart, however, remained intact, on the bed, beating silently in it's forgotten tune.

_(How does it feel to be dead, Naruto? Isn't it peaceful?  
He didn't answer because he knew he'd have to disagree.)_

**So, what do you think? Liked it? Should I continue?**

**Please review! **


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